Gary Louris and Mark Olson started playing together again in 2007 after Olson's departure from the Jayhawks in 1995. Louris contributed to Olson's solo record, The Salvation Blues, and then they released Ready for the Flood as a duo. This compilation marks the return of the Jayhawks proper, when the lineup for Tomorrow the Green Grass reunited for a run of shows playing classic Jayhawks numbers in the summer of 2009. Music from the North Country, which Louris oversaw, spans the band's entire career, from the tiny pressing of their self-titled debut to their five albums for American.